"While working one day in GNC, I was approached by a fellow who wanted me to put together a nutritional program together for him. This gentleman stands 5'0" and weighs 150 lbs. He claims that he is unable to gain weight and that the guy he goes to for help is always telling him different things."

Phano Paul Som

While working one day in GNC, I was approached by a fellow who wanted me to put together a nutritional program together for him. This gentleman stands 5'0" and weighs 150 lbs. He claims that he is unable to gain weight and that the guy he goes to for help is always telling him different things.

He had heard that there is a guy that works at GNC who knows what he' talking about hence his visit to my workplace. Now I normally don't sit down with total strangers and outline programs for them but I think this would be a great opportunity to share with the readers how someone would alter his/her diet in order to gain size as quickly as possible.

Without knowing anything about his training habits, I will design a program that would be ideal for his situation. First and foremost, I look at his weight and see that he is 150 lbs. Now the average 150 lb person has a basal metabolic rate of around 1500-1800 calories.

Now I'm going to assume that he has an extremely fast metabolism and guess that his maintenance calories per day is around 2000 calories. After all, isn't the fast metabolism excuse for not gaining weight ubiquitous in the realm of bodybuilding? Now if his body requires 2000 calories per day and he' not gaining any weight with what he' doing now, then something must be awry.

I know you've read that you should bump up your maintenance calories around 300-500 calories per day and shoot for an overall increase in one pound per week but I' going to go out on a limb here and overshoot by about 1000 calories.

Why

Why? Well, if he wants to gain weight that badly, then he' going to have to shock the hell out of his system. So he should be consuming around 3000 calories per day divided into 4-6 small meals throughout the day. It' be best if he ate on a schedule meaning that if he' scheduled to eat at 5:00 PM and 5:00 PM rolls around, he needs to eat whether he' hungry or not. It may be tedious but it works. Eat on the clock as if it were a job and you will grow. Now that we know he should start at 3000 calories per day, it is time to divide up these calories into the three basic micro-nutrients.

First and foremost, he should be eating plenty of carbs. Carbs are important because if your body runs out of carbs for energy, it will switch to protein for energy metabolism. This is a no-no because we want the protein for muscle building. Starting to get the picture yet? For starters, I would start him at around 55% carbs, 25% protein and 20% fat. This equates to around 400 grams of carbs, 190 grams of protein and around 65 grams of fat per day.

I know it seems like a lot of mathematical work but it' actually quite easy. The daily amounts for the three basic micro-nutrients do not have to be exact. Instead, he should aim for these amounts. If he exceeds the carbohydrate intake by 50 grams on a particular day, then no problem. The same goes for the protein intake. However, it is the fat that he should be weary of. Keep the fat low meaning that it should be no higher than 80 grams per day.

Now that I've discussed the amounts of what he needs to be eating, I will now discuss where to get these basic micro-nutrients from. The list is long and this is what I prefer because it is convenient and relatively cheap.

CARBOHYDRATES

Brown rice, white rice, wheat bread, potatoes, grits and pastas

PROTEINS

Chicken breasts, lean beef, tuna and egg whites

FATS

Olive oil, flaxseed oil and essential fatty acids

As I stated before, this list is basically a shortened list which I personally use because it' affordable and easy to prepare. Eating to grow doesn't have to be expensive and time consuming if you know how to prepare. The best way to determine how much foods contains what micro-nutrients is to buy a calorie book.

I have a fat counter which lists the number of calories, grams of protein, carbohydrates and fat per serving of various types of foods. Now that I've listed some basic foods for him to consume, it is time to lay out an average day of eating based on a training time of 2:00 PM.

This schedule doesn't have to be exact and he can substitute one thing in for another as long as he is able to meet the daily requirements I set forth earlier. Now that I've cleared up any confusion he may have about eating, I will now recommend various supplements which will help him in his quest for more mass. For starters, I would recommend that he take creatine, glutamine, a protein powder, multi-vitamin and antioxidant formula and glucosamine.

I would advise that he consume 10 grams of creatine per day, give grams before training and five grams after training. Around 10-20 grams of glutamine should be taken on a daily basis making sure to divide the doses into 4 gram dosages taken on an empty stomach. Personally, I like to take glutamine first thing in the morning, before training, after training and before bed. Protein shakes should be taken right after training to help insure growth along with a carb drink. A multi-vitamin and antioxidant formula should be taken after breakfast.

Also, 1000 mg of vitamin C and 800 IU of vitamin E taken before training has been shown to reduce cortisol levels. So taking these antioxidants before training may help recovery and growth. That's basically it. This program may not be a super complex one but it is one that I know works. Give it a try, train your ass off and grow like a weed!